Report to the 71th General Assembly
Charleston, South Carolina
October 2 – 6, 2015
Puerto Rico is going through the most devastating economic and fiscal crisis in its history, which is the result of the government's irresponsible practices and lack of transparency. The press is waging a unremitting battle for access to government information.
The refusal to turn over public information has become a pattern for the Puerto Rican government.
Various professional associations, led by the Puerto Rican Journalists Association, filed a complaint with a court in San Juan to compel the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico and the Office of the Governor to release the names of the hedge fund companies that hold government debt, as well as to disclose the conditions that these companies are seeking as they renegotiate the terms of repayment.
A separate complaint was brought to force the government to release a report, commissioned from three former executives of the International Monetary Fund, that served as the basis for the Fiscal Restructuring Plan proposed by the administration of Alejandro García Padilla.
Underpinning these demands by media outlets and professional associations is the fact that many millions of dollars in government funds are at stake, and the public has every right to be fully informed of the matter.
